Porto Rotondo set to host RS21 World Championships

From September 27-30 in the waters of the Gulf of Cugnana, Sardinia, the World Championship dedicated to the RS21 one-design keelboat. Seventy crews from 15 nations are expected for a spectacle of great excitement.

When the British shipyard RS Sailing launched the RS 21 a few years ago, it had a definite plan in mind: to give birth to a new class of keelboats that were absolutely accessible to everyone, exhilarating in performance, easy to handle, and economical in maintenance. Well that bet has been won, as RS21 fleets are steadily growing around the world, from Europe to the United States to Canada to Australia.

And it is precisely the strongest teams on the international scene that will enliven the upcoming RS21 World Championship, which will be staged September 27-30 in the waters of Porto Rotondo, Sardinia, for what represents the most important event on the sport sailing calendar dedicated to keel-rigged monotypes

For the first time in Italy, the RS21 World Cup

The competition, organized for the first time along the Italian coast, will feature crews from at least 15 nations for a total of about 70 boats on the water and more than 500 athletes competing. All together to compete in these top-level RS21 races that will be staged by the Yacht Club Porto Rotondo in the spectacular natural setting of the Gulf of Cugnana.

An event this RS21 World Championship also highly anticipated by the Italian crews who just last weekend, August 25-27, held the Italian RS21 Championship on Lake Garda, an event also valid as Act 4 of the RS21 Cup Yamamay and 1st “King of The Lake” trophy.

Nox Oceans team also at the start with three crews

And just on the front of the Italian crews that will also be fielded at the World Championships is the Sardinian team Nox Oceani, which will be present in Porto Rotondo with three crews made up of local athletes. Among them is a very special team: the one composed of young sailors from Olbia, all under 23, who will give their all to win the top spot in their category. They are Andrea De Matteis, Francesco Columbano, Laura Murineddu, Salvatore Garippa, Giorgio Nocella and Riccardo Serra.

The other two RS21 boats of the Nox Oceans team will instead feature athletes Antonello Ciabatti, Alessandro Balzani, Costantino Cossu, Giuseppe Marras, Andrea Nocella, Luca Giovannini and Ferdinand Palomba. Coordinating the team’s preparation is Camillo Zucconi, a coach and multi-talented sailor from Palau, who is directing the training sessions of the three Nox Oceans crews.

Francesca de Natale: sailing spreads key values

“After ten years of waiting,” says Francesca de Natale, founder of Nox Oceani and a member of the RS21 Class Sustainability Committee, “an event of global significance is returning to Porto Rotondo. Our team will participate with three boats, the only Sardinian ones, with the aim of involving and supporting young people in the love of the sea and sailing, a sport that encompasses so many teachings such as respect for the environment and discipline, values that are transmitted daily to our athletes. Our well-being is directly connected with that of the environment, and that is why it is very important to respect nature. This world championship dedicated to the RS21, the first sailing class in the world to promote the “sustainability manifesto” to affirm its commitment to the environment and the values of sport, will be a good demonstration.